Shivering Kitten

Hi there! I have a quick question about a 4-5 week old kitten that I have been taking care of. She shivers alot. When she is lying down, she shakes, when she is walking she shakes. It seems the only time she is not shaking is when she is wrapped in a blanket in my arms or lying on the towel with the heating pad. Also, she has diarrhea. It was the yellow/green color and now it is brown, but very loose. Her butt looks swollen too and it is red. I will be calling my vet on Monday to be sure she does not have an infection or virus of any kind, but I was hoping someone here would have an opinion. She just began eating Friskies Kitten food about a week ago. The diarrhea has been since I tried to give her KMR stage 2. It stopped when I switched over to the kitten food, but after 2 days it came back. She has had the shivering problem since I found her when she was 2 days old. She is not listless. She is very active and has her two siblings to keep her busy.

Any information or sites would be helpful. Thank you!

 

Some kittens need to be warmed at all times. That would explain the shivering. Weak muscles will cause her to shake too. Changes in diet will give her diarrhea as you know. Now that the color is turning brown, she seems to be better. I would recommend putting baby diaper rash product on her butt, or petrolium jelly to protect her skin. I know that in humans, stool will turn green when food is not digested properly and it's probably the same in kittens. Your vet may recommend deworming sooner than 6 wks because of the diarrhea. I read your reply to Bellack's thread that you are giving pedialyte for dehydration. Here's some info on diarrhea which you probably already know since you are well informed on your babies:

http://search.netscape.com/ns/boomf...pTest=1&remove_url=http://www.kittencare.com/

Just click newborn care, then stool composition and tummy concers.

Good luck with your kitten!

 

Vene what a brill website that is, I went for quick look and have been looking at it for the last half hour it seems to have all the questions you could ever think of and for me and Dusty just now it's got a lot of really good information and advise. Thanks for posting it :y_the_best:

Annie

 

You're welcome Annie! :wink:

 

Vene,
Thank you so much for the site. The info was very helpful. I am also a bit more nervous about what could be wrong. Her brother has the same problem, except I haven't seen any blood in his stool. The diarrhea is now a greenish brown for both of them. I am calling the vet tomorrow to find out what I can do. Since they are not completely litter trained yet, they still urinate on themselve and it smells bad. The female's urine is also a very bright yellow, which I know is not good.

It is just frustrating because I have never done this before and I am trying so hard with them. I don't know what I would do if I find out there is something seriously wrong. I am a complete cat lover, but I have never had cats depend on me so much. I am afraid of being the reason something bad happens. Obviously I know that since I found them so early there is no telling what diseases, if any, they could have. And, of course, if there is something wrong it is most likely not my fault at all. I guess I have just grown so attached to them.

Well, again thank you for the site. I give alot of credit to anyone who cares for new born kittens on a consistent basis. It is the hardest thing I have ever done.

 

Vene,
Thank you for the information again. I went to the vet today. She said the cats are fine. She said that the diarrhea is OK because of the food change and it should stop in a few days. She said as far as she could tell they were very healthy. I feel much better. She gave me Nutri-Cal to give them once a day. They love it. I feel so embarassed for getting upset over them. I just needed to be reassured that they will be OK.
Thank you again for the site.

 

Glad to hear that your kittens are well taken care of. You're welcome, you're welcome, you're welcome, and you're welcome. Phew, you are extremely polite Jennyret.